[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars":3,"chapter-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Immortal Path Among the Stars",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2319960,4537,"Chapter 28: The Tide of Yin Qi","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>Wang Yu and Fang Yi burst onto the deck, the explosions and shrill cries instantly striking their ears; after scanning the surroundings, they both drew a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire tower ship was now shrouded in a gray light barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the deck, many crewmen, backs laden with iron tridents and hands gripping light crossbows, formed a circle and fired wooden arrows adorned with red talismans toward the barrier’s exterior, where each arrow exploded into a ball of fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rolling black mist and chilling winds filled the air, densely packed with countless white-boned fish—each devoid of flesh or blood, yet alive, emitting eerie cries as they slammed their bodies against the gray barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone-fish varied in size: some reached several feet in length, others were no bigger than a fist, yet each swirled with black qi; when fireballs struck among them, only the central ones turned to ash, while nearby bone-fish rolled through the black mist and resumed their relentless battering of the barrier as if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the ship’s large blue crossbows, operated by other crewmen, launched thick iron bolts, each capable of piercing through multiple bone-fish and shattering them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the many sailors stood over a dozen cultivators dressed in varied robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were Yu Bin, the Yin Lady, the tall masked youth, and the girl Qín who lived across from Wang Yu, along with several unfamiliar faces—all wearing grim expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen well, fellow cultivators: though the corrupted bone-fish carried by the Yin Tide are numerous, they pose no real threat. I will open a gap with the Soul-Pacifying Banner, allowing you to take turns eliminating them; once their numbers drop below a certain threshold, the Yin Tide will naturally dissipate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ordinary corrupted bone-fish can be handled by regular crewmen, but if any rare variants appear, I count on all of you to join forces.” Feng Lao’s voice echoed again from above the ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu looked up and saw Feng Lao seated beneath the black Soul-Pacifying Banner, one hand pressed against its pole, the other forming a hand seal; fine gray mist continuously streamed from the banner, replenishing the gray barrier, while his ever-present large tobacco pipe was now stuck at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These bone-fish are called corrupted bone-fish—what then are the variants?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wang Yu pondered, a thunderous crash sounded outside the gray barrier—a massive fish head, the size of a water barrel, slammed into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire barrier and tower ship shuddered; a shadow as large as a small boat flashed past the barrier and vanished among the swarm of corrupted bone-fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu’s scalp prickled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Brother, be careful—the variant corrupted bone-fish are as dangerous as mid- to late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. If you’re in danger, move closer to me; if I have spare strength, I’ll protect you.” A withered voice came from nearby. Wang Yu turned and saw the Yin Lady approaching, leaning on a black cane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Elder. I hope I won’t need it,” Wang Yu replied with a bow, though he wondered why she was showing him such care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a chorus of shrieks erupted from the bone-fish swarm—a gap opened directly before the deck’s front, and countless bone-fish surged onto the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though limbless, their bodies floated freely through swirling black qi, making them unnervingly agile; in an instant, they reached the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crewmen dropped their crossbows and drew their iron tridents, rushing forward to stab wildly at the nearby bone-fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each bone-fish struck let out a piercing scream, its black qi dissolving, then collapsed motionless to the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu noticed the iron tridents’ tips bore another kind of white talisman, emitting a faint white glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the cultivators behind began forming hand seals, chanting incantations, or drawing weapons—some slapped talismans onto their blades, others onto their own bodies, and before them, various magical lights began to shimmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu gripped his iron-essence longblade, feeling awkward—he regretted not exchanging more defensive talismans days ago. He had only one Golden Light Talisman left, reserved for emergencies, and not a single protective spell memorized—but he couldn’t just stand idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking quickly, he held the iron-essence blade horizontally before him, formed a hand seal, and began muttering the incantation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was lucky: after a ripple in his spiritual sea, the spell mark coalesced on the first try—his fingertip glowed red, and a tiny crimson flame appeared: Firefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some corrupted bone-fish had already broken through the crew’s defense and reached the cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spells shot from several cultivators’ hands: giant fireballs the size of heads, ice needles as thin as fingers, and curved wind-blades—within moments, the first twenty or so bone-fish were engulfed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But more bone-fish surged past the spell coverage, streaking straight toward the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu flicked his finger—the flame shot out as a red dot, striking a bone-fish charging directly at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone-fish exploded with a “boom,” engulfed in roaring flames, then vanished in a wisp of blue smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But another bone-fish darted in from the side, jaws wide, fangs bared, lunging to bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu stepped back half a pace; a flash of cold light—his blade cleanly split the bone-fish in two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thud. Thud.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The severed halves that fell on the deck couldn’t float, yet still thrashed violently, refusing to die for several moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu felt a chill run down his spine, but his blade flashed twice more, slicing two more bone-fish into four pieces each, before he finally glanced around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the initial spell barrage, no one wasted time casting more offensive spells—each cultivator used their own specialty to deal with the bone-fish, leaving Wang Yu awestruck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closest to him, the Yin Lady now had two hazy, massive black hounds beside her; every bone-fish that approached was pounced upon and slammed to the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tapped each fallen bone-fish with her black cane, and frost instantly spread across their surfaces, freezing them solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Bin, the purple-robed elder, held a bronze mirror in one hand; from its milky-white surface, bursts of yellow light orbs erupted repeatedly, striking down nearby bone-fish one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gaunt man Gao Qi wielded two dagger-like short blades, moving like a ghost around Yu Bin; wherever he passed, corrupted bone-fish shattered into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, the monk’s arms were thick as tree trunks; he swung a crescent-shaped monk’s spade like a storm, and wherever it swept, entire swarms of bone-fish exploded into fragments—he looked like a human dragon of destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Farther off, the young Huang couple stood shoulder to shoulder: the woman kept her hand seal fixed, forming a blue energy shield around them both, while the man swung a silver longsword, conjuring countless silver sword shadows—perfectly synchronized, capable of both defense and offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked youth, too, swung a crimson long spear in a corner; where the spearhead passed, flames roared, and a circle of charred bone-fish carcasses lay at his feet—but his gaze kept flickering toward the Huang couple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other unfamiliar cultivators also unleashed their own techniques, leaving Wang Yu stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where was the green-clad girl? She was on the deck just moments ago—where did she go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she sneak away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wang Yu noticed the missing person and felt puzzled, Feng Lao’s loud warning rang from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out—a variant has gotten in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small gap in the gray barrier suddenly widened—a colossal corrupted bone-fish, two zhang long and whale-sized, plunged onto the deck; with one whip of its tail, trailing rolling black qi, it crushed several crewmen into pulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other crewmen screamed and scattered in all directions; the cultivators froze, their eyes locking onto the monstrous creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll hold it still for a few breaths—the rest is up to your abilities, fellow cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the ship, Feng Lao shouted, then chanted; thick gray threads erupted from the Soul-Pacifying Banner, forming a vast net that enveloped the giant bone-fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant bone-fish’s body, like a mountain, crashed onto the deck; despite thrashing its tail desperately, it could not break free from the net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivators rejoiced: some activated their artifacts, others hurled attack talismans; those skilled in close combat charged forward, swinging blades to hack and smash the giant’s massive body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked youth even growled, hurling his spear as a streak of red light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the giant bone-fish’s body erupted with flashes of light and sound, its black qi churning wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, its massive body was riddled with wounds; its head was pinned firmly to the deck by the crimson spear, barely alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu took the chance to slash twice—though he didn’t use full strength, he felt the giant bone-fish’s body was far tougher than ordinary ones, leaving only two shallow cuts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was secretly astonished that the masked youth’s spear had pierced straight through the giant’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was due to the youth’s extraordinary strength or the unusual nature of the crimson spear, he couldn’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah! This is a variant? I could handle it alone!” The monk, clearly fired up, slammed his crescent spade into the giant’s tail several times, then laughed maniacally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some cultivators cast sidelong glances at the monk; others simply ignored him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the giant bone-fish, seemingly immobilized, suddenly raised its head and let out a piercing shriek—its body began swelling like a balloon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—it’s going to explode!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those nearby cried out in alarm; both cultivators and crewmen turned and fled, desperate to put distance between themselves and the threat—but it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu cursed inwardly, then instinctively rolled backward onto the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“BOOM!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu felt a crushing wave of air behind him, and countless bone fragments rained down like a storm, grazing overhead; a series of screams echoed nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>",1622,"2026-06-20T15:44:30.991Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","208fab504a4d0aa1777d10c60d326dababdb39d44a73db7ee3f1c6dd86689e8d","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-29","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-27",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-immortal-path-among-the-stars-cover.jpg"]